Hello again, everyone. Happy New Year (again). Here is the second chapter of Tatsumi Ga Kill, and it's quite long so feel free to take breaks when reading it.
In this chapter, we'll start with another Present Day scene, and then we'll be getting right into the main story. There will be scenes of the present day throughout this fanfic, but I'll try to maintain focus on the actual story as much as I can. I will admit that the story is still in the phase of "Establishing the premise" so nothing too exciting is going to happen just yet. But, hopefully the story should start getting off the ground (so to speak) soon enough. I also wish to apologise if the Present Day portions go on for a bit long and distract from the story. I just really wanted to write some fluff, you know? In particular, I really wanted to write a bit about Seryu.
This chapter will officially introduce Tatsumi's children. The children and their corresponding mother are listed below.
Akame is the mother of Iris (daughter) and Ryu (son)
Leone is the mother of Felix.
Mine is the mother of Jet.
Sheele is the mother of Nova.
Chelsea is the mother of Dash.
Najenda is the mother of Rodrigue.
Esdeath is the mother of Matthias.
Seryu is the mother of Saber.
Kurome is the mother of Virgil.
Cosmina is the mother of Lars.
Suzuka is the mother of Nile.
Sayo is the mother of Jin.
Spear is the mother of Lance.
Mez is the mother of Kazama.
Aria is the mother of Reinhardt.
Nyan is the mother of Cipher.
Dorothea is the mother of Emile.
Thanks again for checking this story out and giving it a shot. So… let's get to it.
Edit: The additions of Spear and Mez have been accounted for.
Edit 2: All planned revisions should be accounted for, now.
Side note: All characters depicted in intimate relations are 18 or over.
Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill or its characters.
(Present Day, Eastern Country, Tatsumi's Family Cottage)
After dressing themselves and reluctantly departing their bedroom, Tatsumi and the loves of his life temporarily went their separate ways. Tatsumi ventured into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Tatsumi had grown much taller since his days at Night Raid (he was now around 6'8"). Leone, Mine and Chelsea in particular loved to tease him about it, much to Tatsumi's chagrin (though, in truth, he could never be annoyed at them for long. He loved them too much). Seryu and Sayo believed that Tatsumi's new height suited him quite well. Esdeath did miss when Tatsumi was shorter (if only because it was relatively easier to dominate him), but she eventually got used to it. Kurome merely saw Tatsumi's growth spurt as an opportunity for more piggyback rides from him.
After toppling the Empire, a majority of the general populace called for Esdeath and Seryu's deaths, despite their role in helping the rebels. Kurome, Suzuka, Mez, Aria, Nyan, Dorothea and Cosmina weren't off the hook, either. Tatsumi anticipated this, so he convinced the higher-ups in the Revolutionary Army to let him live with them in self-imposed exile instead. Tatsumi had altered fate so that they could all live on. He saw it as his responsibility to keep them out of trouble, to watch over them… and to protect them. Akame, Leone, Sayo, Sheele, Chelsea, Spear, Najenda and Mine chose to join him. Where Tatsumi went, they followed (and Akame wasn't going to be separated from Kurome a second time). Tatsumi sent a majority of the gold he had earned back to his village. He used the rest to purchase a cottage in the Eastern Country for himself and his companions. They've lived there ever since. Tatsumi and Sayo secretly visited their old village from time to time. They were proud to learn that Ieyasu had even started his own family.
When Tatsumi reached the kitchen, he was greeted by an excited Koro who ran circles around Tatsumi before sitting in front of him. Tatsumi knelt to pat Koro's head whilst also giving Koro belly rubs. Koro was essentially the family pet. He had seen Koro at his most vicious, though thankfully that side of Koro was now reserved for Danger Beasts and people who were genuinely evil (instead of being unleashed on people who fit Seryu's past metric of being 'evil'). These days, Koro was otherwise not too different from a regular pet dog… mostly.
Tatsumi stood up again to prepare the meals. Tatsumi agreed to cook whenever possible due to the fact his culinary skills were simply sublime. While the others took turns to cook sometimes, there was a mutual agreement that, for the sake of avoiding calamity, Sheele must NEVER cook at all costs. Naturally, making food for several people involved learning all of their different likes and dislikes. This initially proved to be a daunting task, but Tatsumi was quick to adapt.
Which was fortunate considering that in recent years, he now had to cook for his numerous children, as well. He had a child with each of the ladies in his life. In Akame's case, there were two children. Each of his children reminded Tatsumi of their mothers. For example, Saber, the son of Tatsumi and Seryu, clearly inherited his mother's strong sense of justice. Fortunately, he was much more well-adjusted. Seryu doted on Saber constantly, and made a point to show just how much she cherished her son.
After some time, Tatsumi had fully prepared breakfast for everyone and brought it to the dining room.
"Here's breakfast, everyone!" Tatsumi announced.
'Thank you for the meal!" Tatsumi's wives proclaimed.
"Thanks, Dad/Papa/Father" Tatsumi's children chimed in, with their various titles for him.
As the family indulged in their meals (Akame and Kurome, in particular, devoured their breakfast with gusto), Tatsumi couldn't help but feel immense pride. He watched as Ryu, Iris and Virgil politely took bites from their food as Akame and Kurome had already finished dining. Leone was ruffling Felix's hair. Mine was chuckling at Jet's various jokes. Nova was nervously observing Sheele, hoping that his accident-prone mother wouldn't have catastrophe befall her. Chelsea and Dash were helping themselves to lollipops. Esdeath was regaling Matthias with her various exploits of hunting Danger Beasts and the numerous battles she had fought. Seryu was spoon-feeding Saber his soup, much to his dismay. Despite his protests, Seryu insisted on doting on Saber, styling him as her "Angel of Justice" and further embarrassing Saber as a result (though he couldn't help but smile). Cosmina and Lars were practising songs together. Sayo was instructing Jin on how to sew. Spear was lecturing Lance on table manners and how to properly hold utensils. Nyan and Cipher were doing drawings. Najenda was declining Rodrigue's pleas to get an awesome metal arm like her. Aria was reading a novel with Reinhardt. Emile was being lectured on the fundamentals of alchemy by Dorothea. Finally, Suzuka and Mez were offering Nile and Kazama advice on romance and how to get a girlfriend. In Suzuka's case, her advice left a bemused Nile with a quirked eyebrow and more questions than answers (but then, considering who his mother was, he shouldn't be that surprised). In Mez's case, Kazama found his mother's advice to be much more agreeable.
Ryu and Virgil always played together the most when they were younger. Virgil prided himself on his tactical and strategic mind, whilst Ryu proved to be an adept swordsman. Jet and Saber had a friendly rivalry and made a competition over everything. Who can finish a book faster? Who had a better hairstyle? Who could polish weaponry and equipment faster? Who was better at climbing trees? Who was better with women? Whatever the activity, they'd always attempt to prove that one brother was better than the other. Mine and Seryu often had to remind the two brothers that not everything in life had to be a competition. Despite their rivalry, Jet and Saber truly did care about each other. When they were younger, Jet suffered from a paralysing fear of lightning. One night, during a thunderstorm, Saber's Justice radar activated when he heard Jet crying. Saber huddled together with Jet under a blanket, and the two brothers read bedtime stories while eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate. Tatsumi, Mine and Seryu found them the next morning sleeping next to each other under the blanket. The three found the sight to be one of the most wholesome scenes they had ever witnessed. Mine and Seryu particularly gushed over how adorable they were.
Nile was often seen as the most down-to-earth of Tatsumi's sons. He often had squabbles with Kazama, due to the latter's reckless and hot-headed nature. Despite their differences, they always looked out for one another.
Iris was the youngest child and Tatsumi's only daughter. She was doted on by her parents, aunts and older brothers alike. She was rumoured to have a smile that could melt the heart of even the most fiercest warrior or the most savage Danger Beast. Jin had once made a doll for Iris to play with. Jin lacked Sayo's finesse when it came to sewing, but Iris loved the doll nonetheless. And a happy Iris was all Jin could ask for.
Overall, Tatsumi's family wasn't exactly conventional, to say the least, but he wouldn't change them for the world.
"Mama, I'm not a baby anymore. I can eat the soup just fine on my own…" Saber insisted.
"But you'll always be MY baby, Saber! You're my darling prince of Justice. You're my world! It's only fair that I want to pamper you~" Seryu sweetly sang.
"Ah, geez…" Saber groaned. Though, honestly, he appreciated that his mother cared so much for him.
Seryu never knew her mother, and her father perished far too soon. He was a good man who died trying to expose Ogre's crimes. At first, Seryu believed her father was killed in the line of duty fighting against the Revolutionary Army. She didn't realise the truth until much later. Seryu felt so lost and alone. Everything she thought she believed in was a lie. She felt like she had nothing left. Well… she had Tatsumi, at least.
Seryu didn't believe she deserved sympathy, forgiveness or redemption. Sure, losing her parents and having horrible role models such as Ogre and Stylish wasn't helpful, as Tatsumi pointed out. But Seryu pointed out that she was still responsible for her own actions (which Tatsumi did agree with). She couldn't blame others for the things that she herself had done. She honestly felt she didn't deserve to live. Many others felt the same, and she couldn't blame them.
But Tatsumi felt otherwise. Tatsumi took pity on her, in spite of everything that she had done. In spite of everything that happened between them. In the original timeline, Tatsumi swore vengeance against Seryu and believed her to be a lost cause. Seryu also despised Tatsumi and wanted to kill him to satiate her bloodlust (even when Esdeath told her not to). But in this reality, Tatsumi reached for her and guided her to the light. Tatsumi had offered Seryu his hand… and she took it.
Tatsumi always insisted that he was just a regular guy who got lucky. But, to Seryu, he was everything to her. Tatsumi was HER light. Her guiding star, her saviour, her other half, her ally of Justice. He completed her. Seryu knew that as long as Tatsumi remained by her side, she could walk the path of true righteousness, of true Justice.
Seryu even learned to get along with the other Night Raid members, especially Sheele and Mine. The aforementioned duo were on guard around her, at first. This was natural, considering that Seryu killed Sheele in the original timelines, which ignited enmity between the pink-haired genius sniper and the Justice fanatic. In time, however, Sheele and Mine got used to Seryu and even became quite fond of her. They were also very supportive of Seryu when she fell pregnant with Saber.
Before Saber's birth, Seryu and Tatsumi made a vow in front of a small, humble shrine she had made for her parents. The shrine sat in front of a tree that stood behind their cottage. The vow was that the two would ensure that their child would have both his parents there for him. Seryu knew that she had walked a violent, bloody, horrific path. She promised Tatsumi, and herself, that she wouldn't ever let Saber follow suit.
On the day when Saber took his first breath, Seryu knew from the beginning that he needed to be cherished and treasured. To Seryu, Saber was so pure and sweet. As Seryu cradled him, She wept tears of joy. She felt unworthy of any of this happiness, but it happened to her anyway. She watched over Saber as he slumbered in his cot, determined to keep him safe from harm. Koro was also protective over Saber, caring for him as if he were Koro's own pup. And of course, Tatsumi cared for Saber just as he cared for all of his children.
One memory that Seryu treasured in particular was when Saber was a year old. That was when he spoke his first words.
"Mama!"
Seryu stood shocked for a total of six seconds before gently embracing her son and softly nuzzling his cheek whilst giggling. Tatsumi joined in on the embrace. Seryu will always remember that moment.
Seryu cared for all of the family, of course. But Saber and Tatsumi were easily the two most important people in Seryu's life. If…. if anything happened to them, Seryu wouldn't know what to do. She'd never recover. She'd likely go on a rampage. She'd lose what little sanity she had left. She couldn't imagine life without her Tatsumi or her Saber. That's why she had to protect them. She wouldn't let anything happen to them. Ever. EVER!
Tatsumi and Saber must have sensed Seryu's thoughts and the tension emanating from her. The two approached her and embraced her.
"Shh…. It's alright, my love. None of us are going anywhere. Saber and I will always be by your side…" Tatsumi reassured his auburn-haired soulmate.
"Exactly, Mama! Our bonds will never be severed. They will always prevail, just like Justice!" Saber chirped.
"My heroes…" Seryu spoke tenderly as she hugged the two back. She never wanted this day to end, neither did she want to ever let them go. The other members of the family all joined in on what was now a group hug. At this moment, Tatsumi truly felt content.
Tatsumi had never known joy like this in his life. His lovers always assured him that all of this was possible because of him. Tatsumi countered that it was a group effort, and that he could not have done any of this without their support. And to think, all of this began with a dream about a suit of armour…
Tatsumi's mind drifted back to the past. More specifically, to the moment where it all began. When he was merely seven years old…
(Imperial Year 1013, Tatsumi's village)
What the hell was happening? Where was he, exactly? Tatsumi should have known that letting Ieyasu cook was a mistake. He felt strange after he ate that stew, but if it was going to give him screwed up dreams like this, then Tatsumi knew that he must never let Ieyasu anywhere near the kitchens ever again.
'Note to self: Insist that I cook the meals from now on' Tatsumi thought.
He attempted to gauge his surroundings. He was in… a void, of sorts. Tatsumi could hear the wind howling, and in front of him was a suit of armour. The armour was a mixture of blue and silver and there were what appeared to be blue lights where eyes would be. There was also an insignia on the chestplate. An insignia that Tatsumi did not recognise.
Then, the armour stretched out its hand expectantly. "Tatsumi…" it whispered.
Tatsumi quickly surmised it wanted Tatsumi to take its hand. Well… it couldn't hurt. This was just a dream, after all. So, Tatsumi approached the suit of armour and placed his hand in the armour's gauntlet. Then, everything went blank.
(The next morning)
Tatsumi, now awake, shot up with a cold sweat. What…. What just happened? And… Why did he feel so strange?
His eyes fell to his right hand. There was a mark. It was the same one from the suit of armour in his dream. He didn't have too long to comprehend this, however. Suddenly, he suffered from visions that swam through his head.
One was of his two friends, Sayo and Ieyasu. Sayo was dead, hoisted in the air by chains. A pale Ieyasu lay dead in Tatsumi's arms. Another vision was of a woman with magenta hair and eyes. She also sported a pair of glasses. She was about to be devoured by some sort of canine beast. Another vision was of a tall, muscular man with combed hair lying dead on what appeared to be a vessel. Another vision was of a woman with crimson hair and pink eyes who sported headphones with a butterfly accessory. Her severed head sat atop a pole, a look of sorrow on her pale face.
Another vision appeared in his mind. This one was of a tall man with bison-like horns and navy blue hair. He was locked in battle with a woman, one who had light blue hair, pale skin, and a bloodlust matched only by her beauty. The woman had ice powers and was clearly skilled with them. She even seemed able to stop time. She used this power to destroy what appeared to be a core… and the man with bison horns was no more.
The next vision showed a young man with emerald hair and eyes. This poor soul suffered two deaths. The first death involved the man plummeting from the sky and being impaled by spikes. The second death consisted of the same man being cut down by a tall swordsman. The vision after that involved a young woman with pink eyes and hair tied into twin-tails. She laid dying in Tatsumi's arms, whilst speaking a final declaration of love. She placed a kiss on Tatsumi's lips before closing her eyes… never to open them again. The vision after that had shown a rather well-endowed woman with short blonde hair and golden eyes bleeding out in an alleyway, presumably from what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
The final vision prominently featured Tatsumi himself. He was covered in blood and was being embraced by a woman with crimson eyes and raven hair. As Tatsumi passed on, the woman's tears fell as she quietly sobbed. All the while, she held him tighter, never wanting to let go.
The visions, thankfully, were finally over. Tatsumi felt sick to his stomach. What was that? They were visions, of course, but what did they represent? What did they mean?
If Tatsumi had to guess… it must have been the future. HIS future. He recognised Ieyasu and Sayo, but he had no idea who those other people were. He had never met them before in his life. And yet, they seemed so familiar. But why was that? Were they from a past life or something?
…
…
Then, clarity fell upon him. He remembered now. He remembered everything! Those visions were memories. They WERE from a past life, in a manner of speaking.
Sayo and Ieyasu were meant to travel with Tatsumi to the Capital of the Empire. They were ultimately tortured to death by that witch and her family… Aria, The name filled Tatsumi with dread. Although he killed her and avenged his childhood friends, it did nothing to change the fact that they were dead.
It seemed that Tatsumi could replay the visions in his head. He thought back to the other people in those memories. He began to recall their names. Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, Susanno, Lubbock, Mine, Leone, Akame. They were members of the assassin group he had joined… Night Raid. They fought with the intent of ending the Empire's tyranny. They succeeded, but not without cost. One by one, many of them died. Ultimately, Tatsumi himself met his end after defeating the Emperor. He wasn't entirely sure what happened to Akame and Najenda, his boss, after that. Did they live on? Did they die? Tatsumi concluded that he would likely never know.
But he did know one thing. Sayo, Ieyasu, Night Raid… they were his family. Regardless of how or why he had received these memories, he knew he couldn't let them die. He had to save them all. He had to change fate.
The question he now had was in regards to how he was going to do this. Then, he thought back to the mark on his right hand, and the suit of armour in his dream. When he had awakened, he remembered that he felt different. He felt stronger and faster. And… he felt a surge of power deep within his soul waiting to be unleashed. Tatsumi guessed that the armour was a type of Teigu. It seemed familiar to Incursio and Grand Chariot. The name "Messiah" came to Tatsumi quickly in his mind. Was that the name of the armour? Why did the name suddenly come to Tatsumi if he had never heard of this Teigu before? Tatsumi then remembered that Teigu were formed from Danger Beasts corpses, and that their influence still existed within the Teigu itself (like how the Danger Beast Tyrant still existed within Incursio). If Messiah had merged with him, and was somehow able to communicate with Tatsumi, that would explain how Tatsumi learned Messiah's name. Tatsumi did consider that Messiah may not be entirely trustworthy, but Tatsumi was of the mind to take all the help he could get. If he was going to save those he cared for, he would need all the power at his disposal to do it. He just hoped that it would be enough.
Time was of the essence. In eleven years, Tatsumi would leave for the Capital in a bid to make a name for himself for the sake of his village. He would meet Night Raid, and events would be set in motion. Eleven years was certainly going to be… a while. But he could make use of this time. He was going to spend the next eleven years training himself mentally and physically for what was to come. Which meant pushing himself beyond his limits. Tatsumi was always taught that without strength and power, you can't protect anyone or anything. And for a monumental task such as this, he would need to become stronger and more powerful than anyone else.
He had been given another chance at life. He wasn't going to waste it.
He left his cabin and prepared to start his training. He had much to do. Tonight, he would try to have another encounter with Messiah in his dreams, as well. Tatsumi had questions, and he guessed Messiah had the answers.
Heh. Maybe he might just let Ieyasu continue cooking for him, after all.
(Imperial Year 1024, Tatsumi's village)
An eighteen year old Tatsumi stood in the Village Hall. He was discussing the details of his journey to the Imperial Capital with The Village Elder. More specifically, he was talking about how only Sayo should accompany him, and that Ieyasu should not.
It had been eleven years since Tatsumi first acquired Messiah. Since that moment, Tatsumi had undergone what could only be described as 'training from Hell'. His strength, speed, agility, stamina and durability had increased exponentially, compared to his past timeline self. Granted, he almost passed out on numerous occasions from sheer exhaustion. He had broken every bone in his body many times. And he also almost died fighting hordes of Danger Beasts. What Tatsumi went through would have no doubt killed anyone else his age.
But, frankly, as far as Tatsumi was concerned, it was worth it. He discovered quickly that Messiah bestowed upon him self-healing and regenerative powers. Any broken bones and limbs were immediately fixed, and Tatsumi could even restore lost limbs. During an encounter with a rather large Danger Beast, Tatsumi had the misfortune of losing an arm… only to have it immediately grow back again. Tatsumi was still pissed off, though, and so he repaid the Danger Beast by crushing its skull with his bare hands.
Tatsumi was also now immune to all toxins and poisons. Not even the curse of Akame's Murasame would have an effect on him. He could also heal and cure the physical wounds and afflictions of others (which would prove useful when saving Sayo and Kurome).
As he unlocked more of his new powers, he recovered more knowledge of the events of the previous timelines (even the parts where he wasn't present). He had no doubt that this information, and his new powers, would prove useful to him.
Tatsumi had also been communicating with Messiah over the past decade. It was strange at first to have a Teigu talk to him from within his head (or rather, his soul), but Tatsumi got used to it quickly. Over the past decade, Tatsumi learned more about his Teigu. He was some sort of Danger Beast god who had taken pity on Tatsumi. In Messiah's own words, he believed Tatsumi and several others deserved a better ending. Considering he had spent the last eleven years encouraging Tatsumi's strength and growth, and had wanted Tatsumi to achieve a better outcome for as many people as possible… Tatsumi decided that trusting Messiah was a reasonable course of action,... For now, at least. The Divine Teigu understood Tatsumi's skepticism, and simply pledged that he would do all that he could to prove his sincerity.
Eventually, it was time to leave the village. It was quite a lengthy argument, but Tatsumi had convinced Ieyasu that staying in the village was for the best. Ieyasu was one of the best fighters, so the village could greatly benefit from having him as its defender. Ieyasu did warn Tatsumi to not let anything happen to Sayo, or Ieyasu was going to beat the crap out of him. Tatsumi gave an earnest smile and promised to protect Sayo with everything he had.
Sayo blushed at Tatsumi's pledge. She had fallen in love with Tatsumi a while ago. The fact he had grown taller (6'3") and more muscular was a bonus. She couldn't help but wander… Did Tatsumi feel the same way about her?
Tatsumi did feel the same way… but there would come a time where they could express their feelings for one another, eventually.
Tatsumi and Sayo packed their belongings and headed to the village entrance. Ieyasu, the Elder and the others saw them off.
As they marched, Sayo asked Tatsumi a simple question.
"Ready?"
"Ready" he responded.
And so, Tatsumi's journey to change fate was about to begin.
Alright. That's the second chapter done. Again, I still doubt my writing skills are up to par…. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose. Thanks again for checking this story out, readers!
For reference, the full name of Tatsumi's Teigu is "Divine Knight: Messiah." In all honesty, I just thought it sounded cool, so that's why I picked it.
The next chapter should have Tatsumi be in anime/manga territory from that point onward. Tatsumi's new powers will be explained further there. I would have done it during this chapter, but I didn't want it to be too long.
Ieyasu will be remaining behind in the village for this story. It's probably best this way. And for the record, Tatsumi's dream happened by itself and wasn't the result of Ieyasu's cooking. I headcanon it to be bad, but not THAT bad. I… just wanted to clear that up, just in case. Hehe.
Now, I should officially state who will be intimately involved with Tatsumi in a polyamorous relationship. Sorry for not doing it sooner.
Edit: The list has been updated. Here it is…
Akame, Leone, Mine, Sheele, Chelsea, Najenda, Sayo, Spear, Esdeath, Seryu, Kurome, Cosmina, Dorothea, Suzuka, Mez, Aria and Nyan (female version of Nyau).
Anyway, I just wanted to thank those who have chosen to follow/favourite this story. It means a lot. Please feel free to leave any thoughts and feedback you may have.
Until next time, readers (whenever that may be). Stay safe out there!